Process for the synthetic preparation of ammonia from its constituents.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHEME MATIGNom-or BoURG-IJA-REINE, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR- r0 THE socrn'rnGENERALE DES NITRURES, or PARIS, FRANCE.

PROCESS FOR THE SYNTHETIC PREPARATION OF AMMONIA FROM ITS CONSTITUENTS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHnMn MATIGNON, of 7 Boulevard Carnot,Bourg-la-Reine, Seine, France, and a citizen of the Republic of France,have invented a certain new and useful Process for the SyntheticPreparation of Ammonia from Its Constituents, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the synthetic preparation of ammonia from itsconstituent elements.

It is known that certain metals possess the property of facilitating thereaction of nitrogen upon hydrogen in order to produce ammonla.

It is of great importance to find catalytic agents working at lowtemperature.

I have discovered that zinc begins toward 200 degrees to facilitate thecombinati'on of the two elements; it works fairly regularly and producessmall quantities of ammonia at temperatures below its melting point. Iprefer to employ it in a form presenting a large surface, for example,in the form of zinc powder spread upon the surface of a support capableof being traversed by thev gases, as for example, asbestos.

The reaction may be conducted either under ordinary pressure, or underincreased pressure which favors the reaction. The zinc may be replacedby alloys of this metal sufficiently finely divided to present a. largesurface. 1

By way of example, I may pass slowly a mixture of about three parts byvolume of hydrogen and one part by volume of nitrogen over finelydivided zinc at a pressure of twenty-five to fifty atmospheres and at atemperature of about three hundred degrees.

The mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen employed need not necessarily betaken in the proportion of one volume of nitrogen to three of hydrogen.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 7. 1911.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914. Serial No. 642,825.

I am aware that it has been proposed to produce ammonia by causingaqueous vapor to act upon an alloy of an oxidizable metal such as zincwith one of the triad or pental elements to produce hydrogen which inits nascent state is combined with nitrogen. In my process, there is nochemical reaction of the zinc with aqueous vapor or anything else; thehydrogen is in a free and molecular state, and the zinc simply acts as acatalyzer for the formation of ammonia from the mixture of nitrogen andhydrogen gases.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as such and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

'1. A process for the synthetic formation of ammonia, consisting inpassing amixture of nitrogen and hydrogen gases in free and molecularstate over a catalytic agent, containing zinc, at a temperature abovenormal temperature but below the melting point of said zinc,substantially as described. 2. A process for the synthetic formation ofammonia comprising the passing of a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogengases over a catalytic agent, said agent consisting of finely dividedzinc maintained at a temperature above normal temperature but be low themelting point of said zinc.

3. A process for the synthetic formation of ammonia, comprising thepassing of a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen gases under pressure overa catalytic agent consisting of finely divided zinc powder spread uponasbestos and maintained at a temperature above normal temperature butbelow the melting point of said zinc.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHEME MATIGNON.

Witnesses CHARLES DONZ, LEON PEILLET.

